Is « excellence » masculine or feminine?

« excellence » is feminine. You say l'excellence.

Article forms

With the definite article l'excellence
With the indefinite article une excellence
With the partitive article de l'excellence

Plural

The plural is excellences (les excellences). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.

Why the gender

excellence ends in -ence. Nouns ending in -ence are usually feminine, so excellence follows the pattern. The full rules by ending cover every common suffix.

Related words

Other common nouns that end the same way:

Common questions

Is « excellence » masculine or feminine?

« excellence » is feminine. You say l'excellence.

« l'excellence » hides the gender. Is « excellence » masculine or feminine?

It is feminine. The article shortens to « l'excellence » for both genders, but you say une excellence, not un excellence, and adjectives take the feminine form.


Check another word, or read the complete guide to French noun gender.